


Crossing the tides of time

by AzureRegulus



Series: A life without the holy grail [7]
Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Desire, F/M, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Love across time, Promises
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:28:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29784408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzureRegulus/pseuds/AzureRegulus
Summary: Love.A strong, unexplainable emotion that intertwines two souls forever. Its strength was formidable. Myths and lore often speak of lovers torn apart by war or death, even crossing and searching the underworld.One such tale of love and loyalty was the king of Ithaca, Odysseus, and his beloved Penelope. No matter where she was, her heart and soul stayed with him, even during the troyan war and the Odyssey back home.It was one tale that Crio, Atalanta's master in the great holy grail war, husband and child of Artemis, adored with all his heart. The tale of a man so loyal, the rage of the god of the sea didn't stop him.Yet one night during a storm as him and his wife were on a hunt for terrifying monsters haunting the city, they would come closer to the legend than they ever thought possible.In the form of a woman with hair as pale and beautiful as the moon goddess herself.
Relationships: Atalanta | Archer of Red/Original Master, Odysseus | Rider/Penelope
Series: A life without the holy grail [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019353





	Crossing the tides of time

### A lonely crown

Swiftly they ran through the night. Wind and rain couldn’t stop their hunt on something human eyes shouldn’t and couldn't see.

The storm provided cover as the pair of lions elegantly jumped over the rooftops in this very jungle of apartment buildings in search of prey that invaded their territory.

Monsters from the underworld, preying on human blood. But what them wary, was their keen ability to sense Servants from miles away.

“Can you see them, Atalanta?”, the man with the white swept back lion’s mane asked. Sharp blue eyes tried to see in the storm, but even with his sight, he was unable to pursue those monsters for long. For that, he trusted in his huntress’ own as they jumped towards the largest building of the apartment complex.

To normal humans, the mere sight below would have gotten them to fall unconscious. But for this pair, it was nothing out of the ordinary. They had to be used to this, or the great holy grail war they had been in once would have been lost at the very beginning.

“I can see one of them ahead.”, the huntress answered, calling upon a bow and arrow in midjump. Despite rain and thunder, her view was crystal clear, fixated on a grotesque shadow reaching the outskirts of the city.

Reptilian in appearance with a bony tail coming out of its back, the creature stood twice her height with ease the moment it decided to stand on its hind legs.

Stopping near the edge of another building, Atalanta took aim. A beautiful long bow in hand and arrow ready to shoot, the huntress wanted to show her beloved that even after all this time they had been married, her claws hadn’t dulled.

But to her horror, she found something amiss with the creature. Or rather…

…its numbers.

“Crio! It is only one!”.

The piercing blue gaze of the white maned lion narrowed searched the surroundings. “Damnit. The other demon must have split in search for other prey.”, her husband and former master muttered against the sound of thunder in the far back. Atalanta gritted her teeth, never allowing her target to leave her sight again. “Are they trying to separate us?”.

“No. These demons aren’t that smart. They still belong to the lower class.”, he answered, searching the nearby park.

While not as good as an Archer Servant’s eyes, Crio still had a keen perception, able to see things from a good distance no human could without help. But with the storm growing worse and fog starting to settle in, even Atalanta would begin having trouble soon.

‘I should give Emiya and Chiron a call. Maybe Medusa as well. We need to find that thing, fast.’, Crio pondered in a matter of seconds. ‘If we lose it completely who knows what-‘

A bloodcurdling scream of a woman couldn’t be deafened by the roar of thunder.

Atalanta’s ears perked up with a horrible shiver going down her spine. “That came from the park!”.

His head snapping towards his goal, Crio’s body prepared for battle. In his hand a brilliant white sheath appeared with a design resembling the shadows of olive tree branches wrapping around it. e,

“Atalanta! Hunt down the one heading to the woods! I’ll take care of this one!”.

“Understood! Be careful, agapi mu!”.

Having asked her beloved to keep his guard up, the greek huntress pursued the beast into the forest as Crio, swift as a white bolt of lightning, cut through the air.

…

The pain of being smashed against a tree was coursing all through her body. Paralyzed at the sight of the monster, she couldn’t hope to evade, no matter how.

A lone woman tried to weakly pull herself away. But her fingers slipped on the wet grass. A wonderful, pure white dress, dirtied and ripped. Her side was hurting and she was sure some of her ribs must be broken. Breathing alone was a struggle for survival.

Weakly trying to scramble to her feet, the lizard-like tail wrapped around her frail neck before she could even sit up.

Her eyes full of tears, she could barely make out the monster underneath the flashes of lightning and the broken lamppost. Dislodging its lower jaw, it hissed into the beautiful woman’s face, saliva running down its scaled lips.

It had been starving for so long.

It was a nightmare incarnate.

‘Not…yet…’.

Closing her eyes, tears of frustration slowly trailed down her cheeks. Something inside of her fought death’s grip, not allowing to give the monster the satisfaction it wanted from her fear before it could devour her.

‘I haven’t found him yet…I…cannot…’.

There was still something left to do. Someone she wanted to see with all her heart.

Her beloved hero.

Clutching the monster’s tail, she fruitlessly tried to get it off, fighting pain and cold.

An annoyed hissing escaped the demon. The force from the tail grew stronger. The woman’s eyes snapped open as it began to suffocate its prey.

But when the hand that clutched the tail lost strength and the teeth hungering to tear into her soft skin approached…

…the tail was cleanly cut off with a painful sqeal.

Falling back into the dirt, the woman coughed and gasped. She was free from the demon’s grip. But what saved her?

Barely able to see open her eyes, she saw him.

A blue-eyed demon wearing the skin of a human. No, a lion with hair pure as snow. Or rather, a shark who’s hungry eyes are searching for the source of blood in the water.

His katana stabbed into the ground, the man’s right palm smashed right into monster’s upper body. With a deafening crash it was thrown against one of the many trees in the park. She didn’t know how much force had been inside of that blow, but without a doubt enough to kill a human, as the demon slumped to the ground, unmoving and without a single breath.

It allowed her time to try her best and get a proper look at her savior.

White hair reaching his neck. A short lion’s mane if to describe and a gaze as cold as the ones of a shark.

Slowly he turned his head towards her with the demon’s blood splattered on his cheek.

It was terrifying, yet also magnificent. The sight of him standing between herself and beast reminded her of the man she yearned to see again.

For a brief second, these cold blue eyes turned a warm gold.

The weak smile on her lips at the sight of her beloved, made his blood run cold.

“It is you…my love…”.

Curiously he lifted his eyes brow.

Her heart felt so light at the sight of the man she yearned for so long.

“Finally…”, she whispered, closing her eyes with a satisfied look.

“A…gapi mou…”.

His breath stuck in his dry throat, he immediately took of his coat, covering the woman’s frail and shivering body. The fear of a woman dying in his arms felt colder than the rain that threatened to consume him. “No, no, no!”, a frantic whisper begged as he was checking her pulse. “Please, stay with me!”.

Sigh of relief escaped him, easing his mind.

Unaware of the soundless steps approaching swiftly.

The looming shadow behind him, furious over the loss of its tail, raised its claw, ready to split the man’s skull.

But it couldn’t react to the swift elbow digging into its abdomen, sending it into the air long enough for him draw the katana stuck in the ground.

In a wide arc with speed akin to lightning, the demon was cleaved in two and a shower of blood rained down upon the blue-eyed demon.

With a swift swing of his sword to get the blood off of it as the two parts of its prey’s body fell upon the ground and sheathing it while the corpse disintegrated, he carefully picked up the woman in his arms, making sure his coat wouldn’t fall off of her.

Alone underneath the flickering lamplight, he mustered her face.

Pale, delicate skin and long, white hair the color of the full moon.

She was beautiful. One of a kind even.

“Crio!”.

Hearing his name called behind him, the man sighed, turning his head to greet his wife with a relieved smile. However, it swiftly faded upon for a scowl.

His woman had drastically changed in appearance to before. The sharp eyes of a beast were the ones greeting him.

“You had to transform?”, he responded to the sudden change of her golden hair to a white as his own. Wiping the blood of her cheek, she nodded. “Predators hiding in the woods are the most dangerous when they cannot be seen. But its stench was unmistakable.”, Atalanta answered, gazing at the rotting corpse of the demon he had killed. “It had called backup and before they could overwhelm me…”.

Once transformed, Atalanta’s battle prowess increased, as did her savageness. Crio knew better than anyone what happened once she was forced to use the pelt.

And then her eyes wandered towards the girl in his arms.

Closing her eyes, she regretfully crossed her arms, thinking that they were too late. But Crio shook his head with a reassuring smile, making Atalanta sigh with relief. “She is fine, just out cold. I barely got here in time.”, he explained, allowing Atalanta to get a glimpse at her. “But she definitely needs a doctor. Can you call Asclepius?”. Kneeling beside him, Atalanta reached into his coat for his phone with a kiss on his temple, proud of her beloved.

But as she called her comrade, his eyes narrowed, remembering her final words before wounds and exhaustion got the better of her.

Inside their home, Atalanta and Crio protectively watched over the woman as Asclepius had looked her over. She escaped with a few bruises when the demon lashed out with its tail, but no internal injuries. However, he said that if the force had been just a bit more, her ribs would have been broken.

The woman would live, but also need a lot of rest.

Carried to the married couples bed, she was tucked in, recuperating in her blissful dream. Yet as they walked out…

…Crio leaned against the doorframe, carefully watching her.

“What is on your mind, my love?”.

Atalanta had noticed his frown never leaving the woman ever since they brought her here. Stroking his small goatee, Crio answered to the best he could: “I don’t know, but something about her seems off. I don’t know how to describe it, to be honest.”. It was a strange feeling he couldn’t explain. It wasn’t the way she looked or how she slept. “Not only that but she seemed glad to see me and-“.

The moment he gazed into Atalanta’s lime green eyes and an adorable pout, a shiver went down his spine.

“You are not telling me that now after all our time together, you get interest in another woman, when you lived even with Medusa under the same roof? Or do you mean to tell me that there is a woman that loved you before you summoned me?”.

“W-What?!”, he nearly shouted, fighting to keep himself together. The last thing he wanted is to wake someone who was recovering. Immediately afterwards, Atalanta gave him a peck on his cheek to further his furious blush. Crio, startled and unable to form any words, endured her playful whisper close to his right ear paired with her lips playfully nibbling on his ear. “Easy, my love. Allow me at least a bit of fun at times.”, Atalanta eased her husband as her tender hand below his chin wandered to his left cheek. “You have been around so many beautiful women. I cannot help tease you from time to time for being around beauties like Medusa and even my dear Medea. If you were unfaithful to me, I wouldn’t have the ring on my finger, would I?”. “You are going to give me a heart attack one of these days…”, Crio tiredly shook his head. It would be a lie though if he didn’t like Atalanta’s playfulness that came slowly after they married. It reminded him that his old life was over.

“…seus…”.

The playful bickering stopped.

“Seus?”, Atalanta repeated curiously. Out of the both of them, the huntress’ hearing was superb, thanks to her lion ears. Not only could she hear through the storm, but also the faintest whispers.

Crio watched her curious twitching ears as she approached the woman. “Seus?”, he muttered confused. “Do you think she wanted to say Zeus?”. “Ochi.”, the greek woman replied, wiping a bang out of the woman’s face.

“I know you forgot how he is pronounced, given the abysmal time you spend refusing to speak our tongue. It is pronounced _Dias_. She is saying someone else name…”.

“O…”.

Again the woman’s lips pursed. Under the strain of her aching body, she fought to speak in her sleep.

Crio and Atalanta patiently waited.

But the moment the name of her beloved escaped her lips…

…

_None had recognized him._

_The trojan war was won, yet it had come with sacrifice._

_Instead of what the fates told, the one who settled the trojan war, was not the boy he found dressed as beautiful girl. No. He was lost after losing himself to rage, losing his family, ultimately falling love with the queen of the amazons and fading into history. That man had lost his will to fight after truly falling in love for the first time._

_It had been up to him and with his strategy of a gift, the trojan horse, the war was settled._

_He couldn’t wait to return home to his beloved queen._

_And he cursed the trojan war._

_If not for it, he could have stayed with his beloved Penelope. His queen._

_Her smile shined whenever she lured him into a pond, underneath the watchful gaze of the moon. Every kiss he was bestowed was full of love and affection, never to be broken by the trials of time. And her kindness was warm as the sun_

_Ten long years passed and guided by the image of that beautiful woman opening her arms for her beloved, he set out._

_Nothing could prepare him for the grueling trip that would test his resolve._

_His men being butchered._

_The Cyclops’ curse and rage of Poseidon pursuing him._

_Circe’s enchantment and love for the king of Ithaca._

_Even a trip to the underworld._

_He would do whatever it takes to return home._

_The moment he planted his foot on the grass of his homeland, the news of his wife being pestered by suitors send him forth with rage caged inside his chest. Every day she had waited for his return, weaving a burial shroud at day and undoing it at night for 10 long years to keep her suitors away._

_When he returned to her, refusing all of her suitors, he approached, disguised as a beggar._

_His quivering lips at the sight of his frustrated queen, horrible guilt from leaving her alone for so long, the king of Ithaca told her of the legend he created. How long it took and how he yearned for her._

_Underneath the hood of his rugged mantle, the queen saw the same golden eyes she loved so much, framed by bloodred bangs. The warmth and love shining brighter than the sun were only meant for her alone._

_Tears of joy running down her face, the queen walked away into her chambers, returning with a bow._

_“You want my hand? Then you shall have it. The one chosen to be my husband is to take this bow and shoot an arrow through 12 axe heads.”._

_While the suitors fought each other for the first shot, the ones loyal to the king and queen closed off all exits, be it gate, door or window._

_And when none could accomplish the task, the king himself with perfect, fluid motions nocked back the arrow. Sharp as ever, his golden gaze narrowed…_

_…and easily, he shot through all of them._

_Every suitor in that room felt their pride from before crumbling the moment the hood came off, revealing his white hair. Grabbing a handful of arrows, as many as he could, the king’s words lodged into his prey, with a loving smile at his queen._

_“Penelope…go into the bedroom and hide. I will shortly be with you.”._

_“Before that…”, the queen whispered, trembling with happiness knowing he was back. After all this time, he had finally returned to her side. But she only wanted one more proof._

_Just a single thing_

_“I need to have a Servant move the bed.”._

_“That won’t be possible. One of the feet is made of a living olive tree, remember?”._

_Holding back the tears for later, the queen left with her Servants and a faint whisper that sealed the fate of the suitors who pestered her for nearly 20 years, sending his own heart ablaze for her._

_“Welcome back, my king…agapi mou…”._

_Her beloved returned and the door closed, the man’s tender gaze turned furious._

_“None of you will leave this palace alive. I hope you made your peace with the gods!”._

_One by one the walls were coated in their blood as they were ruthlessly shot down like wild animals trying to escape their prison. Attempting to fight back, one reached for his sword, trying to slay the king. But he tripped the very moment Ithaca’s ruler evaded with a swift side step and an arrow lodged right into the back skull._

_They knew none of the would survive, but ran nonetheless. It was the only thing they knew how to do._

_Outside in their garden, the queen pulled her king into the pond once more, reunited underneath the beauty of the moon._

_His fingers, only having held weapons for 20 long years, finally combed over her soft hair, pure as white, all the way down to her slim waist._

_Even to this day, her beauty never faded._

_“I am sorry for leaving you alone for so long, my queen…”, he apologized as delicate fingers brushed over his bare chest, enjoying the comfort being returned. Even if she felt him so close, the protection of his arms and warmth of his breath on her skin, it felt like a dream. And she hoped it would stay for eternity._

_“Do not be. I knew you would return…”, she answered his regret with that same, wonderful smile that made him endure the trojan war and his return home._

_“Odysseus…my king…”._

…

It was jarring.

The moment he had opened his eyes months ago, the man couldn’t believe whom he saw.

Prince of Troy, Hector, and his brother, Paris.

Queen of Amazons, Penthesilea, holding hands with the very hero she lost her life to. Achilles, the man who once had carried her delicate corpse with tears trailing down his face, now smiling happily as he was hers alone.

It was all so strange.

Odysseus knew he was summoned as a Servant to fight in a holy grail war. Yet none of the Servants here were in the mood to battle. At first he thought it was a trick.

_“Relax, Odysseus.”._

Upon hearing the youthful, relaxed voice of the young warrior releasing the queen’s hand, the king of Ithaca gazed at the former Rider of Red.

_“I would if I didn’t know that all of these people here were Servants.”._

_“I understand. But take my word, that you can be at ease. The last grail war has been fought and there will never be another again.”._

Sitting at the dinner table, Odysseus sipped his coffee, watching how his cousin had dressed himself to go outside. “Are your tasks leading you to your Argonauts again, Jason?”, the Rider smiled a bit how the leader made himself presentable. “Of course. I have a responsibility as a leader.”, he muttered, fixing his necktie with a great smile. “Seeing Heracles again is bound to make things interesting, even with that little gremlin at his side.”.

Odysseus kept his smile, yet he couldn’t quite understand why he called the former Berserker’s master a gremlin when the white-haired girl definitely knew her manners. “She loves Heracles like she was her father. And it is good to see him free of sin and madness.”, he answered, gazing over the pages.

“I know. But I’d like to drink with him and the others again. Caenis has been getting on my nerves when he asked us not to drink any alcohol while Ilyasviel was around. And with ask, I mean he got out his sword when a few certain someones ignored his request.”.

“As any good father would. Are you gathering all the Argonauts?”.

Jason sighed, putting on his decorative rings. “I did, but more out of courtesy.”, he grunted. “Atalanta and Medea are probably not coming, as usual.”. Stroking his muzzle as he flipped the page of the newspaper, Odysseus couldn’t help but wonder about the huntress’ husband. The tales of her archery reached his ears even in the trojan war, thanks to a certain someone. He’d love to have a contest with the huntress of Arcadia and son of Zeus. “And what about Crio? Is he not coming?”.

“He is only arriving when his _gatoúla_ actually decides to join, or Medea, just to keep her from stabbing me with her rule breaker.”, Jason lamented his state, pressing his fingers on her head. The cat, how he so often taunts her feline features, is not on good terms with the leader of the Argonauts.

One, because of Medea’s broken heart, even if it wasn’t his fault. Second, she doesn’t want her husband to become a part of this mismatched group of hers. Even with great heroes under his command, the fact that he never takes the frontline brought Atalanta shame in front of Crio, which annoyed Jason to no end, as he was interested.

Interested how the hell someone could even get married to Atalanta of all people.

“Here I am even inviting them to get-together and they are ignoring me!”.

Odysseus chuckled a bit at his cousin’s irritated tapping on his upper arm in frustration. “Maybe you shouldn’t call her a cat.”, he wisely advised. “Atalanta is a married woman, cousin. She has a lot of love to give and receives a lot in return from her husband. Of course Crio is protective of her and Circe’s niece. I heard he has been through a lot with Medea.”.

“Yes, yes. We know the story of Crio and her loving each other like brother and sister. I heard it often enough.”, Jason waved with his hand. “That doesn’t rectify the gut punch he gave me! I nearly barfed on Heracles’ shoes!”.

Odysseus couldn’t help a quiet chuckle. “Considering what I heard, it could have been worse, dear cousin. Maybe you shouldn’t have been slacking during the sage’s training.”.

Jason loved his cousin dearly. He was a brother he never had. But just as with any siblings, hearing him pass wisdom sounded more arrogant to the leader of the Argonauts than an advice. Clicking his tongue, he noticed his necktie out of place and while fixing it, responded both fearfully as well as with great respect: “Atalanta married a damn monster. People call him a lion…”.

But upon glaring at his reflection, he remembered again the time that punch send him nearly flying out of his shoes.

“He is a shark the likes I have never seen before. Something primordial that shouldn’t exist in the first place. How can a normal mortal take on a Berserker of all people, much less a Ruler?”.

“Which is one of many reasons she loves him so much.”, Odysseus continued to laugh. “Has he accepted yet that you consider him an argonaut for marrying Atalanta?”.

“He didn’t, because she is keeping him away! How can I learn who he is and what he is capable of, if she keeps him away the entire time as if I am poison?!”.

Ignoring the infuriated the stomping, Odysseus reminded himself of the fact that, even if Jason was arrogant and prideful, he was a good and dependable leader. He knew his Argonauts in and out. So of course he’d want to get more acquainted with whoever Atalanta’s husband was. But the moment he would even try to get close to Crio, the huntress pressed herself against her spouse to get him to blush, all the while sending freezing glares at her leader.

It was an amusing sight. Every time.

But this normal life they led…

“Have you grown used to it, Jason?”.

“What exactly, Odysseus?”.

As he flipped another page, the king felt his cousin’s curious gaze. Jason found the answer inside these golden eyes, similar to his own shock the day he opened his own to his Argonauts around him and later meeting the huntress again and her beloved master. “I have…”, Jason answered truthfully. Grasping his chest, he felt his heart beating, just like when he was still sailing on the Argo. He could get excited, sad, happy, angry. But it seems out of place at times.

“Yet it still feels odd. We are Servants, yet do not have to fight. We can feel heat and cold, can get sick. We can even feel emotions. We wouldn’t if they hadn’t won. Considering that they had a Ruler Servant in that great holy grail war, Jeanne d’ Arc of all people. And then there was also the other, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.”.

Sitting across from Odysseus, Jason clasped his hands, leaning his chin on them. “I couldn’t imagine Atalanta winning.”, he admitted openly. “She is a remarkable huntress and one of the best archers I have ever seen in my life, even with Heracles right next to her. When she shoots, her arrows cut the air apart. When she runs, it seems as if she is leaving after images. And if you face her in the forest, you are in her territory and the eyes of that beast never let you go until her fangs have tornyou’re your throat. There is a reason Peleus and her have grown so close that they were practically family. But her wish narrowed her view to a wider perspective. I thought that is what would be her doom at one point. There were so many powerful Servants, yet it was her and Crio that settled it.”.

Odysseus nodded slowly. “I know what you mean. Their faction was strong. My own comrades and acquaintances aside…”.

A tall man with a slim shape. Wild, beautiful white hair and eyes bright as the sky, wilding a golden staff.

Odysseus would not forget that man anytime soon.

“Karna, the child of the sun.”, Odysseus muttered. “If things had played out differently, he might have been their doom.”. “Yet it didn’t.”, Jason shook his head. “If it hadn’t been for him, Atalanta would have been sent back to the throne and Crio straight down to Hades. But she also protected her master fiercely. Something none expected to see of her.”. A faint smile spread on the Saber’s lips. “Maybe I gave the cat not enough credit. I thought she’d never find a man if she didn’t loosen up a bit in her exceptions to even allow a guy at her side.”.

“Never say never, Jason. It might come back to bite you.”.

“Haha…”, the leader’s fake laugh as he went towards the door made Odysseus smile a bit. “Have fun with your group. I’ll see you later cousin.”.

The moment he was gone…

…the king laid down his newspaper with a sullen sigh.

His golden gaze wandered outside towards the sun rising over the balcony of the apartment he momentarily shared with his cousin. It reminded him so much of his home.

The first night of many he had shared with his queen after his long journey home, culminating into the first of many sunrises he witnessed together with her.

His adam apple bobbed and his heart yearned to speak it. Everything he loved about this world put into a single name that shined like the very sun that was rising.

“Penelope…”.

Walking towards the balcony in hopes for the fresh morning air to relieve him, he found no comfort. His heart was still burning to see his beloved again. Nothing more Odysseus wished than to comb Penelope’s long, silky strands once more. Hold her close and whisper into her ear how much she meant to him.

Despite how fragile she looked, her mental strength was incredible. Her faith and loyalty was sturdy as a mountain. Waiting 20 years for her beloved to return to her side seems nearly impossible to think about.

Gazing down the ocean path, Odysseus felt a nostalgic smile spread on his lips.

“Carry your queen with pride, Achilles.”.

“Don’t I do that every day, Penthesilea? My powerful, beautiful queen?”.

Having lost their training match, Achilles proudly carried Penthesilea upon his shoulder as the queen relished on her victory. The short woman with her crossed arms didn’t sway no matter how many steps the Rider shook. She looked as if she came out of a war.

It was an odd sight for sure for any who once battled in the trojan war. Odysseus had seen Penthesilea rampage back in the day and barely avoided one of her morning stars splatter his brains upon the earth. She was a terrifying, savage beast born through the god of war.

Penthesilea terrified the greeks…

…yet stole the heart of one of them.

The fight between her and Achilles was long and gruesome.

She was beautiful, yet Odysseus respected her strength and pride as a queen more.

And never would he forget the sight of the hero returning with the dead queen in his arms. Odysseus wanted to praise the young warrior for his duty, give him a pat on his shoulder for having taken up his weapon, despite all those hardships.

But the tears in his eyes told a thousand words as he the young man shook and quivered. Slowly the water rolled down, falling on the peaceful face of the queen of amazons he sent off into the arms of Thanatos.

_“Odysseus…am I an idiot?”._

_“Why do you think that of yourself? You just vanquished a powerful opponent and showed respect.”._

_“No…No, I didn’t. I lifted her helmet and…you see…”._

_“Yes…Penthesilea is beautiful beyond compare. But she was also a warrior.”._

_“…Then why was I only able to say that word?”._

_“…”._

_“…I am an idiot. I lost Patroclus already, dragged Hector’s corpse around. So…why did I have to fall in love with the enemy? Why did have to spear this woman in my arms? She cursed me, Odysseus. She told me this spear is going to be the death of a loved one…And it did!”._

_“…War is always cruel, Achilles. It is all lord Ares wishes for. Her fate was decided when she was born as one of his children. When your time comes and you meet her on the fields of Elysium, you reunite and love her…But for now, at least give her a proper burial. That is the least she deserves.”._

And that he did.

Odysseus watched painstakingly how Achilles had dug Penthesilea’s grave with his own hands. So often he dug into the earth that his palms should have been bloody. And the entire night, the young man sad and cried, playing a lonely melody on his harp.

As a friend, a mentor of sorts, Odysseus couldn’t help grin at the sight of the two.

Once dead in his arms, Penthesilea now rode with a proud smile on his shoulders, punching his head to go faster, which he responded to with pleasure.

Odysseus’ smiled down from the balcony as Achilles ran off with his beloved queen holding on tight. With a sigh, Ithaca’s king leaned against the railing. “How you two have developed. To see queen Penthesilea smile like this is a rarity.”, he congratulated the young man he found that day, dressed as a young girl. “Even after you and her were forced to fight again in the great holy grail war, you overcame the wall you were faced with and now can enjoy the same life I spent with Penelope. You can be truly proud of yourself, Achilles.”.

Even though he wished only the best for the two, thinking of his missing queen made Odysseus shudder as he went for his jacket. Penthesilea’s white strands reminded him too much of his own queen. How often he combed and kissed them.

“Am I…truly supposed to live this new, long life without you, Penelope?”, he wondered. He wasn’t known to be jealous and he never was. But seeing all these people together…

Penthesilea with Achilles.

Atalanta with Crio.

It just made the memories of his beloved queen unendurable at times, threatening to crush him. It was torture to see her warm smile. And when he reached out to her…

…she disappeared and he’d wake up in the middle of the night.

“Maybe…if we are all free of the throne of heroes, then by chance…are you out there as well…my beautiful Penelope?”.

**Author's Note:**

> Odysseus and Penelope.
> 
> If there is one story I adore, then it is how loyal Odysseus is to her and how patiently she awaited his return. 20 years is an unthinkable long time, especially in times where married people can divorce after one year even. Odysseus has also been a character I wondered personally about why he wasn't implemented into Fate sooner considering his feats. 
> 
> Once upon a time I wandered upon someone on Pixiv and twitter. This incredible person shows a lot of love and dedication to the tale and persons and for that, I wanted to honor them with a story about reunion against all odds. She drew Penelope in such a manner that most men would fall in love with her. 
> 
> But be aware that if you take it too far, Odysseus will turn you into a pincushion. 
> 
> If you have time, please check out her art. I'll leave the link to her pixiv and twitter down below.
> 
> https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/42686670
> 
> https://twitter.com/asu_izumin
> 
> The plan was to put out this story when all chapters are done. But since I started working again, I decided to put out the first chapter earlier. I hope you enjoy. Comments are appreciated.
> 
> Have a wonderful day :)


End file.
